Influence of Body Mass Index on the Duration of Mechanical Ventilation Among Patients Who Were Involved in Road Traffic Accidents

Abstract

Background: Obesity (defined as body mass index (BMI) of ≥30 kg/m²) considers a rising health problem around the world. Currently, the influence of obesity on acute illness has been explored in the literature. However, the effect of obesity on the duration of mechanical ventilation among patients who admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) remains unclear. The current study; therefore, examined the effect of the obesity on the duration of mechanical ventilation among injured patients who admitted to the ICU and were involved in road traffic accidents. Methods: An analytic cross-sectional study was conducted using data from electronic medical records at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between 2016-2018. Adult ICU patients receiving mechanical ventilation who were involved in road traffic accidents were included in this study. Patient’s demographic and clinical information were extracted from the medical files. The association between BMI categories (normal BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m²), overweight (25-29.9 kg/m²), obese (≥30 kg/m²), and underweight (<18.5 kg/m²) and the duration of mechanical ventilation (in days) were examined using ANOVA test. This study has been approved by King Abdullah International Medical Research centre IRB approval committee (protocol number SP18/060/R) Results: Total of 128 patients were included in this study. Majority of the study population were male (94%) with a mean age of 29 ± 12 years. The average duration of mechanical ventilation among the study population was 8 days (SD ± 6). 46.9% of the patients had normal BMI, 27.3% were overweight, 13.3% were obese, and 12.5% were underweight. The mean duration of mechanical ventilation were longer among underweight patients (10 ± 7 days) compared to overweight patients (mean duration was 8 ± 6days). There was no statistical significant difference in the mean duration of mechanical ventilation between BMI categories by one-way ANOVA (F = 1.49.7, P = .22). Conclusions: The current study provides insight for a possible influence of BMI level on the duration of mechanical ventilation in acute illness. This can add new evidence to support the obesity paradox that refers to a lower mortality rate among obese patients with many daises. ICU physician and respiratory therapists have to consider the impact of BMI in the management of patients who involved in a road traffic accident. Disclosures: All authors have nothing to disclose.